The Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has launched a nine-million-dollar Professorial Chair Endowment Programme across six Nigerian universities to develop commercially viable solutions to industry challenges, strengthen local research capacity and promote technological innovation.
Under the Nigerian Content Research and Development (NC-R&D) Professorial Chair Endowment Programme, each of the benefiting universities will receive 1.5 million dollars to establish specialised professorial chairs focusing on agreed industry research priorities.
The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), under the supervision of its Planning, Research and Statistics Directorate.
The beneficiary institutions are the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Rivers State University, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa State, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Kano State, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, and Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, formerly the University of Abuja.
Speaking at the kick-off ceremony on Tuesday November 10, 2026, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adeleye Falade, described the programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s capacity to translate academic knowledge into practical solutions that drive national development.
Falade stressed the need to bridge the gap between research and productivity, noting that academic research should go beyond theoretical knowledge to produce innovations capable of addressing real-life industrial challenges.
“What we are looking forward to is to have people who will come out from the academics that will be able to solve today’s problem, they will be able to solve tomorrow’s problem. And our academic institutions will only be able to thrive on research by having people who are qualified but funded in partnership between NCDMB and NLNG.”
Speaking further, he said the initiative would create opportunities for universities to contribute meaningfully to national development through research-driven solutions.
“If you see any institution today that is making breakthrough achievements, it’s because they’re investing heavily in research. And the more we pour money into research, the more we’re able to come up with products that will enable us to solve real life challenges.”
Meanwhile in her welcome address, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the programme was designed to strengthen collaboration between government and academic institutions.
“Our approach to sustainable development is by way of focusing on things that will bring lasting value, not just to Nigeria but to Nigerians. We see this as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to sustainable development, by committing these sums of $1.5M to the respective beneficiary institutions, we enable an improvement of research capacity in the universities in Nigeria, particularly the selected ones.”
According to Horsfall, the scheme provides the opportunity to encourage partnerships that brings about collaboration and provide the opportunity for funding that can go far beyond the initial investment.
“We believe that sustainable development and an economy that thrive can only do so where research is happening, where there is innovation, and where there is a commitment to developing Nigerians talents and technological innovations.”
Horsfall explained that the selection of the six universities was informed by the need to ensure geographical representation across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Similarly, in his keynote address, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration among government, industry and the academia in building a technologically advanced and economically productive Nigeria.
Ogbe, who was represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Austin Uzoka, said the partnership with universities would help shape the country’s desired future while providing practical solutions to challenges confronting local content development.
“It is about building the relationship and ecosystem between the academia, the government, and the industry so that we can begin to develop homegrown technologies that will enable us to develop our own industries.
In anticipation that we solve typical problems that we encounter in the oilfields of Nigeria, rather than bringing in experts all the time, we develop Nigerians who have the capabilities to do the work.”
He described the initiative as a solid bridge towards building the future Nigeria desires, adding that it would create opportunities for universities to undertake more practical, relevant and valuable research projects.
“Research and development is not cheap, but if you don’t start now, the future is not going to be bright. And the first level of local content has to do with participation of Nigerians, the next level is about building the capability and building capacity, that’s what we need to focus our energy on. So right now, we need to focus on how we build capacity, and technology plays an important role in this.”
Ogbe further noted that the programme demonstrates Nigeria’s capacity to develop world-class innovations capable of addressing both local and global challenges.
Highlights of the ceremony included goodwill messages from representatives of the benefiting universities and partner organisations, and the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) by representatives of the six benefiting universities, formalising their participation in the programme.
